TALKING POINTS| EDUCATION 29/01/2019

TALKING POINTS| EDUCATION 29/01/2019

In today’s talking points, the number of Australian university students opting to study overseas has doubled，global wine education is redefined with the launch of Australian wine discovered，the Victorian government calls for a review of entry requirements for international students, and a book launch ceremony is being held in Beijing for the annual report on the development of Australia

The Number of Australian University Students Opting to Study Overseas has Doubled

The study released by the Australian Universities International Directors’ Forum revealed that 49,263 students spent time studying overseas in 2017, up from 24,763 in 2012.

However, a majority of those students were spending a relatively short time abroad. The study found that 23% of those who studied overseas in 2017 were away from Australia for 2 weeks or less, 34% between 2 and 4 weeks and 15% between 4 and 10 weeks. Approximately 20% spent an entire semester studying overseas while only 3% were away for a full year.

Except for China and the United States, other popular destinations included Britain, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

A vast majority, or 71%, of the students who went overseas to study were completing an undergraduate degree. Those undertaking degrees in the health sector were the most likely to study overseas, accounting for 17% of the total, followed by management and commerce (15%), science (9%), engineering (8%) and the creative arts (7%).

Global Wine Education is Redefined with the Launch of Australian Wine Discovered

Wine Australia is releasing a new education program called Australian Wine Discovered. It is a freely and globally available online resource with 22 modules, videos, tasting tools, detailed information guides and maps.

The Chief Executive Officer of Wine Australia, Andreas Clark mentioned that this was a step they were taking to increase their brand’s engagement with international markets. He also feels that this will increase external knowledge on why Australian wine is so special. He then notes that “the material is available to all and goes well beyond the classroom – it’s a training, sales and marketing tool for importers, educators, wineries, distributors, retailers and ultimately consumers.”

The module topics are good for those with all levels of knowledge and available at www.australianwinediscovered.com. The program is supported by the Australian government’s Export and Regional Wine Support Package, which was implemented to enhance tourism and export growth.

Victorian Government Called for Reviewing Entry Requirements for International Students

In his recent letter to the National Tertiary Education Union, Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrew has asked the advocacy group to review university English entry standards for international students. This occurred after the student group was been found to be failing their classes, as this situation is both unfair to international students and university teachers.

The English standard required to enter into these courses are easily bypassed and therefore many students lack the requisite proficiency needed to pass. This has also created reluctance from domestic students to participate with international students in group projects.

The union is pushing for an increase in English standards and language support offered to international students.

A Book Launch Ceremony is Being Held in Beijing for the Annual Report on the Development of Australia

A launching ceremony for the Annual report on the Development of Australia (2017-2018) and Chinese Journal of Australian Studies (Volume 2) was held in Beijing on 11thJanuary together with the China-Australia relationship forum: trends and future. Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and social sciences Academic Press organized the event.

At the beginning of the event, Sun Youzhong, vice president of BFSU and president of the Chinese Association for Australian Studies, made a speech and briefly outlined the book. Sun said, China-Australia relations have been generally positive in the past year. Gerald Thomson, deputy head of Mission of the Australian Embassy in China said that Australia would keep on promoting cooperation with China.

The book launch was followed by a forum titled “China-Australia Relation: Trends and Future”, at which panelists shared their insights from different perspectives, including politics, economy, trade, finance, and people’s daily lives.